For The Better
by NotSorry
Summary: Sequel to 'Dear Diary'. Rewritting in progress. "Aby was pretty sure the gods needed to make up their minds. Was she a threat to them or not?"
1. Chapter 1

**I've rewritten most of this story (though it's not finished) and I'd like to apologise to people who liked the old version but... It kinda sucked... :/**

**So... here's the rewrite**

Abyss Moon really hated her name. She swore her mother must have been feeling particularly gothic the day she was named- why couldn't she have gotten a normal name, like 'Percy'? That was normal, didn't really attract attention to her brother, and nobody ever laughed at him. Abyss, however, was stuck with this ridiculous one that belonged to a fictional character and the fact that she was adopted by the Moon family at birth was just the icing on the coffee cake. Abyss _hated_ coffee cake.

Needless to say, the moment she found out her real name she changed it (though it hurt to take away the connection with the family that had raised her) - Abyss Jackson was less noticeable, and the shortened Aby sounded actually normal. Sure, it didn't exactly have the ring Percy's name had to it, but it was good enough for her and better than her old one.

The first person she ever let use her full name, without annoyance, was Apollo.

"Hello, child of Poseidon."

Aby was at the archery range- she had a bow in hand and was about to shoot. At the voice, she lowered her bow and turned around. Her first impression of the man was that he was insanely attractive. A few years older than herself, he had blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Though that wasn't the look Aby looked for in potential boyfriends, this guy made it work like she couldn't believe and the fact that his face was more than half-decent to look didn't help, either. The guy was dressed in casual yet designer clothes and Aby felt herself blush when she realized that instead of responding, she'd been openly checking him out.

"Hello," she said with a polite smile. "I don't believe we've met." She placed the bow at her feet and she spoke, and wiped dust off her clothing. The man grinned, his teeth blindingly white.

"Apollo, god of the sun, prophecy, medicine, among other things, at your service." the man, said, grabbing her hand and pressing his lips to it. Aby flushed a deep red.

"Wow." she said, not knowing what to say. "Of all the people you could be, that wasn't exactly on the top ten most likely, sir."

Apollo laughed, waving a hand. "None of this 'sir' business. And, well, I must admit, it's not every day a god goes out of their way to visit a lowly half-blood like you," He grinned, assuring her he was joking, then his face turned seriously and he cocked his head to one side. "But I'm curious about you, Abyss Jackson, and how you hid from us for so long."

"Call me Aby, please." she said, uncomfortable under his calculating gaze. "And I haven't been hiding. Not really."

The god shook his head, the corner of his lips quirking up in a small smile. "Nonsense," he told her, ignoring the last part. "I abhor nicknames and the like. Sure they're good for occasional use, but a name it a powerful thing. A true thing and one must treasure it. And with a name as beautiful as yours," he winked at her. "It would be a shame to let it go to waste. Abyss. _Abyss_. It's poetic, one might say."

The girl tilted her head to the side. "Poetic?" she asked. "How so?"

The god's smile widened, and he tapped a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "An abyss is a void- a chasm. Its fitting- you have secrets, I can tell. Big ones. Don't worry, sweetheart," he held up a hand at her worried face. "I don't know them. Well, not the specifics. And if I did, I would not tell anyone." he examined her for a moment. "There are parts of you nobody knows about, sweetheart. Parts you yourself may not know of. Keep that in mind won't you, when you're out in the big, scary world?"

Aby, eyes wide, nodded, and the god smiled again. "It's been a pleasure, Abyss Jackson. I do hope to meet you again soon."

With one last wink, and a playful bow, the god disappeared in a flash of warm light. Aby stood in her place for a moment, slightly shocked, before picking up her bow and heading to her cabin, mind reeling at the encounter with Apollo.


	2. Chapter 2

Aby sat at breakfast alone this morning- Percy was out visiting his- _their_-mother. He had offered to take her along, to meet her estranged mother, but Abyss had declined as politely as she could. Sure, she knew she had been adopted, but the truth was that she had never really had that much interest in meeting the family that hadn't wanted her. If they didn't want to know her, she didn't want to know them.  
"Don't tell her about me," she had requested quietly before he left for the week. "No matter how I feel about this, there's no need in causing her pain." Percy had nodded, but he was in impulsive creature, or so she was told, and she knew she could not be certain he wouldn't let something slip.

Now, as she sat at the Poseidon table, picking lightly at her eggs, Aby thought about the same thing that had been on her mind in the last two months she had been at camp. When she got here, pretty much the first thing anyone had told her was that her birth was a breach in a powerful pact made by her father and her uncles, Zeus and Hades. The thought that she was a demigod (_daughter of a Greek god! This stuff only happens in books_) was still mind-blowing to her, and sometimes when she woke she had to pinch her arm to convince herself that this was not a dream.

Though that pact was gone now, thanks to her heroic and famous brother who had saved Olympus and the world, etcetera etcetera, Aby still wasn't sure if she would be as accepted as Percy was. One breach by her father was enough- and now another child had surfaced, as far as she could tell, a few gods were angry.

"They'll get over it," Grover had told her a week after she came, when the camp was almost in lockdown for a huge storm that had passed over. "They accepted Percy, and Thalia, and they'll accept you, eventually." A large crack of thunder had sounded then, and Aby remained unconvinced.

_What if they want me gone? she_ thought now, leaving the table and heading towards her cabin. _What if they think I'm too troublesome, or maybe that my power will become too strong? What if the other kids don't warm up to me? - Gods know that only one or two have even tried to befriend me in these two months_

But her mind suddenly flashed to her first encounter with a god- her visit from Apollo weeks ago; that she was not yet sure wasn't a dream. He seemed friendly enough, if not a bit odd. She knew better than to trust first impressions, but the sun god hadn't struck her down where she had stood, so maybe that was a good sign.

"Aby!" Grover called from outside the cabin, and she smiled despite herself- at least he was her friend, be it from Percy's influence of not. "Come on, or you'll be late for archery again!"

When Percy came back from his week with Sally, he did his best not to mention her too often. He seemed to notice the uncomfortable look on his sister's face when she was mentioned, and was surprisingly tactful. Their own reunion had been awkward and full of uncertainty, but the two found they got on quite well. They had to, Aby thought, if they were to live in together until one left the camp. Percy was here has the instructor for sword-fighting, and to spend time with his girlfriend Annabeth, who was staying year-long this year, being the architect for Olympus and who was supervising the building of the cabins for the minor gods and Hades. Abyss was ridiculously far behind in her demigod training (the fact that a twelve year old had pinned her to the ground in capture the flag had been a sore wound to her ego, though she did find she had the same aptitude for the sword has her brother did) and would be staying year-long for at least a few years to catch up on that. That meant that they had a while to catch up on the sixteen years lost of their twin-ship, and Aby was sure she could only handle one angsty reunion at a time. She could meet her mother any time- what she needed was time to settle into this new, crazy life of hers. She did, however, accept a blue cookie made by Sally Jackson upon Percy's uncertain and somewhat reluctant offering.

They had sat down together one night in silence. Though they got on well, there was some uncertainty in what they should talk about, especially at meals, and many nights they kept quiet. Tonight, however, Aby found the silence at their table, in vast contrast to that of other tables, and at last asked the first thing that came to her mind.

"Tell me about your adventures, Percy." she said as the nymphs served them. Percy looked at her in surprise, his eyes widening somewhat. His sister continued. "I want to know the stories about you, from your own mouth. Not overheard gossip of the younger kids."

Percy still looked shocked, but that slowly transformed from his face into a grin. "What do you want to know?" he asked, taking a sip from his Coke. Aby smiled.

"Start from the beginning, hero."

* * *

Percy had started off hesitant when he told of his first experiences of being a demigod, but as he went on he got more and more animated, eventually enlisting the help of Annabeth and Grover, as well as Nico, and an hour later the five were laughing at Percy's recollection of his adventures and the other's occasional input, and stayed at the Poseidon table well past dinner.

Aby laughed with the others, dearly wishing she's been there for some of it, and felt that she was finally getting comfortable with her long-lost brother.


	3. Chapter 3

Three months after Aby first arrived at Camp Half-Blood, Chiron called her to the Big House, a worried look on his face as he regarded her, straight from sword practise and still in her armour. She was panting and red-faced, a smile on her face that vanished when she the centaur's expression.  
"Chiron, what is it?" she asked, immediately becoming worried. Her fears of being sent away had shrunk as the weeks had gone by, but now they came rushing back and Aby braced herself for the worst.

Chiron sighed and beckoned for her to take a seat on the veranda. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Dionysus glance at her from his card game with a satyr, but quickly turned her attention to the teacher in front of her. He looked old and slightly sad as he started speaking.

"Abyss," he said, and the girl flinched at her full name. "In these past few months, you have proven that you are a fast learner- as fast as Percy, perhaps even faster still. You have taken to your lessons with enthusiasm. And now, it is time to test what you have learned." Her eyes widened, and she took in a sharp breath. Chiron continued. "It seems the gods are still unsure of what to make of you- they don't understand how you went undetected all these years. If you were any other demigod, you would surely have perished at the hand of a monster."

Aby was looking at her feet. She glanced at the centaur. "I knew nothing about this... This life until I came here." she told him, slightly defensive. "I thought I was an average kid who liked swimming and had trouble reading. Then I was told I was the estranged twin sister to the boy who saved Olympus and the _daughter_ of the god of the sea." she bit her lip to stop herself insulting the gods and their assumptions. Chiron nodded understandingly.

"Even so, child, the gods have ordered that you go on a quest to prove your worth."

Aby held her breath to calm down the emotions in her chest, and nodded. She stood. "What do I have to do now?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"Go to the forest, to the Oracle Rachel's cave. Explain to her the situation; she'll give you the prophecy you need. When you've got it, come back and we'll make arrangements." he hesitated for a moment, then put a large hand on her shoulder. "Good luck, my girl."

Aby nodded, and walked, in deep thought, to Rachel's cave.

Halfway there, Aby was interrupted by Annabeth and Percy, who were there when she was called to the Big House, when they came running up to her with worried expressions on their faces.

"Aby, what's wrong? What did he need?" Percy demanded, his brotherly protective instincts surfacing as he rushed to her. Annabeth rolled her eyes, and slapped her boyfriend on the back of the head. She then walked over to Aby, wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder, and said, "It's a quest, isn't it?"

Aby nodded, frowning. "Shouldn't I feel more worried?"

"Probably," Annabeth said, waving a hand. "But that doesn't matter."

Aby, taken out of her thoughts for a moment, raised an eyebrow at her. "Doesn't matter? How I feel doesn't matter?"

Annabeth looked at her. "Aby, why are you going on a quest?"

She paused. "Because the gods want me to prove myself."

Annabeth nodded. "The gods want you to do something. Even if you were terrified, the odds are, they wouldn't care."

Aby had never actually met Rachel Elizabeth Dare. When the Oracle had come back to camp for the summer, she had gone straight to her cave and hadn't bothered emerging unless for meals or the occasional lesson in weaponry. When she had shown her face, the Rachel looked preoccupied and worried, and hadn't spoken to many people.

"It's odd," Percy said one night. "She isn't the most social person, but you'd think she would at least be willing to talk to me more. Whenever we do talk, she looks at me like she's trying to work something out."

Now, as Aby stood at the entrance of her cave with Percy and Annabeth, she felt more nervous than anything. It occurred to her that what this girl said, even if it wasn't truly her voice, could determine her future. Suddenly it was hard to move, and she was grateful when Annabeth, with a comforting hand around her wrist, called out to Rachel.

The redhead walked out with a scowl on her face. "Percy, Annabeth, thank gods," she said. "And Abyss, too, I guess. Nice to meet you, Percy's sister."

"Aby, please." she said with a smile, but was distracted by someone else leaving the cave. Her smile wavered as the man spoke.

"Abyss, Abyss," Apollo said dramatically, walking up to the girl. "What did I tell you about your name?"

Aby suddenly was aware of her friends staring at her, and felt her face go red. "Apollo," she said, looking at her feet. "It's nice to see you again."

The god grinned. "Yep," he told the others. "Abyss and I are good friends, aren't we?"

The girl glanced at him in disbelief, her embarrassment gone for the moment. "We talked once." she said, as politely as she could. "And, please, I'm here on important business." She scowled. "But you would know, wouldn't you?"

The god looked at her warily for a moment. "I voted against that." he told her.

Aby narrowed her eyes. "I don't care." she told him, and looked at Rachel suddenly. "I'm here for a prophecy, if you hadn't guessed."

The redhead looked at her, and then at Apollo. "Okay," she said finally. "Come in."

Rachel's cave was deep. As far as Aby could tell, it was a fairly long walk until you got to the main part where Rachel lived. Every now and then, there was a torch illuminating the way, but that was all they got when it came to light.

As they walked in, Annabeth and Percy walked ahead with Rachel to talk. That left Aby at the back, giving Apollo an opportunity to talk to her.

"You know," he said. "You're why I'm here today."

The demigoddess looked at him briefly. "Why, though? Because you knew that I was getting the quest and prophecy?"

"Partly," he said, a smile on his face. "Also, this is my Oracle. I already know what's in store for you, Abyss."

"I don't suppose you could just tell me and save me the trouble?" she asked dryly.

"Unfortunately, no. I can, however, tell you that it's going to be fairly straightforward. Nothing too complicated or meaningful- the others just want you to prove your loyalty to them. Also, I want to help."

This stopped her- Aby turned on him quickly and narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Apollo looked at her seriously, an odd change from the playful smiled he'd given her before, and abruptly started walking again, speaking and not looking at her.

"You're a curious girl, Abyss." he said, a thoughtful tone in his voice. "And I would be lying if I said I wasn't as curious as the rest of my, uh, family. However, I'm the god of truth and prophecy- to a certain extent, I already know about you, and how you hid from us all these years, and a part of your future. These are only flashes that have come to me, but it's all I have at the moment. So I came down here to meet you, that day at the archery range. You intrigue me, daughter of Poseidon. You are not like any other girl I've met. And when the gods said that you needed a quest, you can be sure that I spoke up in your favour- I'm the god of truth, and I thought you were as genuine as they got. But, alas, the other gods didn't listen- just as well, because I'm starting to see that maybe this quest would be good for you."

"How so?"

He grinned at her suddenly. "I'm afraid I can't say. Now, go ahead and get your prophecy, the others must be there already. I'll meet you outside when you get back, I have something for you."

He flashed her another grin, winked, and leaned against the cave wall, motioning for her to move on.

When Aby finally made it to the main part of the cave, she was sure her face was one of total bewilderment. The other three looked up at her arrival.

"What took you so long?" Percy asked. "And where's Apollo?"

Aby shook her head slowly, still trying to process the conversation she'd just had. "He's waiting outside." she told them, unwilling to offer anything else. "We had... an interesting conversation."

Surprisingly, Rachel nodded, and motioned for her to sit down on the large leather couch that the others were sitting on. "He is a curious creature," she said. "And really, he's been visiting much too often of late, asking vague questions. About you, I think." she added as Aby sat down. "Though I can't be sure. Anyway, I want to get this over and done with. Even though I can't remember it, channelling the Oracle is not a very pleasant experience in the whole."

The daughter of Poseidon nodded. "What do I do?"

"Ask me a question." Rachel paused, and looked at Percy and Annabeth. "You two had best leave, too."

When they were alone, Rachel settled herself sitting cross legged on the couch facing Aby. "Ask me what your quest is, and the answer'll come." she said.

Aby looked at her for a moment, and asked, quietly, "What is my quest?"

There was a pause in which nothing happened, and she opened her mouth to ask Rachel is anything was wrong when the Oracle's eyes snapped open, glazed over and burning a bright green. Mist of the same colour poured out of her mouth and when she spoke, it was in a rasping voice much older than her own.

"_Searching for it that no other can,_

_Heroes, four, walk the land,_

_Killed by a bow,_

_From an ally, a gift,_

_The creature marks one last time,_

_Temper of the gods,_

_Tested and tried,_

_Heroes, four, stand for their side_."

After the Oracle had finished speaking, the green mist faded away, as did the green in her eyes; Rachel gasped and fell back onto the couch, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Aby was left staring into space, her mind repeating the prophecy. _Temper of the gods, tested and tried... stand for their side..._

"Aby?"

Rachel was sitting up and looking at the girl with worried eyes. "That bad, huh?"

Slowly, the demigod shook her head. "I honestly don't know. Whatever that meant, it didn't exactly give me a clue as to how this all will end." She looked at the redhead. "Should it have done?"

Rachel shrugged. "It differs from prophecy to prophecy, really- some give a clue, a cryptic answer, and some don't." she grimaced. "I'm sorry I can't be of much more help, Aby. I've never been on to decipher these- ask Annabeth for that. I think I have to go be sick now, though, so you'll have to let yourself out." Rachel hesitated. "And good luck. You'll need all you can get."

Aby left the cave with the sound of Rachel being sick in her ears- truthfully, that didn't seem like a bad idea. She emerged into the sunlight feeling green, and before anyone could talk she had run behind a bush to be sick. After heaving the last of her lunch onto the ground, she wiped her mouth and accepted the bottle of water from someone- she looked up to see Apollo looking at her with an unfathomable expression. "Drink that," he told her. "It'll get rid of the taste and nausea."

Nodding, she drank. She could feel the calm settle through her body, and felt the sickness wash away. It occurred to her that Apollo was the god of healing and medicine, as well. "Thank you," she said softly.

Percy and Annabeth approached; Annabeth pulled her into a hug and then Percy did the same. They reassured her that prophecies always sounded worse than they were and told her that with their experience, and Chiron, they could probably figure out what it most of it meant.

"Abyss, a minute?" Apollo had stood to the side through all this, and now he gestured for her. "Percy, Annabeth, you guys can go. I need to speak with her alone, I'm afraid. Go ahead, she'll catch up."

When they had left, she approached the god carefully. "Yes?" she asked. "You wanted to speak?"

Apollo examined her carefully for a minute. Suddenly, she was painfully aware of all her flaws and felt the need for his approval- if only that it would be useful to have a god on her side.

"That was an interesting prophecy, wasn't it?" he asked finally, flashing her a smile. "Sounds action packed."

Aby nodded, but didn't say anything. He sighed, and looked at the ground for a moment, and muttered something to himself that she couldn't hear. He curled his hand into a fist, but when it opened, he held it out- A necklace, a plain gold chain, with a small golden sun on it. "Take it," he said.

Reluctantly, she took the chain (and tried not to dwell on how warm his hand was) and held it in front of her, staring at it. "Why?" she asked.

"It's a bow, actually. I'm the ally, you see- when you're on your quest, I'll be watching you. Maybe helping you, if you get in a tight spot. I'm sure your father would appreciate it. He, I and my sister were the only ones who were on your side in the first place. I think maybe Aphrodite was, but she seemed to think you'd find a lover out of all of this, it seemed, and decided to add to the drama." There was an odd tone in his voice as he said this. "To activate it, just touch the sun- and don't worry, it won't activate when you accidentally touch it, nor will it tangle in your hair or choke you or anything like that."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him, fist clenching around the chain. "Why are you involving yourself in matters that have nothing to do with you. And won't the other gods be angry if they found out?"

His eyes locked with hers for a moment and it felt as though he were searching her soul. "There's really not much the other's can do- we never swore on anything, and when they do find out they won't take their anger out on you- Poseidon wouldn't allow it, and Artemis would be furious if they harmed a maiden. I wouldn't be too happy, either, really." he added, almost as an afterthought. "And as for your other concern... Well, this has more to do with me than you might first believe, Abyss." He locked eyes with her again, and then his eyes went defocused, and suddenly glanced at her collarbone. "Here, I'll help you put it on." The turned her around and gently moved her thick hair out of the way. Aby had to suppress a shiver as his hand touched her neck, and moved to rest on her collarbone for a moment. He took the chain and carefully did it up.

"Thank you," her voice was quiet as she turned around. "For everything, Apollo."

The god nodded. "Good luck, Abyss Moon, and have fun on your quest. I'll be watching."


	4. Chapter 4

Aby sat on her bed and stared at the wall in front of her. Chiron had let her go finally (though not after dissecting the prophecy with Annabeth and discussing all the possibilities) and now she had a raging headache that seemed to be getting worse as the minutes flew past. She knew she should have been at dinner, but what was the point? She wasn't hungry, and by now the entire camp would know about her quest and the fact that if she didn't succeed, she could be kicked out and left to fend for herself- or worse. It's not fair, she thought tiredly, lying down. How could anyone think I'm a threat? I'm nothing special. What could I possibly do that could hurt the gods?

As hard as she thought through the headache, Aby couldn't come up with an answer. Was this just them being paranoid, or maybe the gods knew something about her that she herself didn't? Finally, she gave up and closed her eyes. It had been a ridiculously long day, and she was asleep within seconds.

Aby left for her quest the next day at dawn, accompanied by Percy, Annabeth and, surprisingly, Nico. She didn't know the boy very well, though they had met a couple of times, but her only other choice was Grover, and he was busy looking after the nature spirits in national parks and had decided that he'd seen enough action for a lifetime. So Nico it was- Percy and Annabeth had assured her that he was trustworthy many times, somewhat unnecessarily. He was nice enough, maybe a bit quiet, but considering his life, he had every right to be.

They left in the van, Percy driving, and while the others were chatting amongst themselves (actually, Percy and Annabeth trying to engage Nico in a conversation on weaponry- the son of Hades was just scowling), Aby stared out the window in one of the back seats and fiddled with her necklace. At least that part's taken care of, she thought. Killed by a bow, from an ally, a gift.

Apollo.

But what was his part in this quest, anyway? He never really gave her a straight answer when she asked why he was helping her. Just a vague response that left her with more questions and confusion. Why was she special? What did he know about the outcome of this quest that she didn't?

"Aby," Annabeth's voice broke her from her musings, and Aby worked to clear the frown on her face. "Aby, where do you want to go first?"

That was a good question, actually. Aby had experienced quite a sheltered life, and before she went to camp she had barely left her town. She knew nothing about anywhere, and decided to leave it up to the, so to say, experts.

"Surprise me."

The first week or so was kind of a blur for Aby. They drove around random places, the landscape flying past the window and nothing really sticking out. She was plagued with headaches from all the stress and the only thing she could think was, any minute, a monster could come out and be the one I am waiting for.

As you could imagine, it wasn't the most pleasant time, and after a while even Percy grew tired of speaking, and the constant chatter was replaced with soft music playing from the radio.

Sometimes, they could encounter monsters- the two hellhounds were taken care of by Nico, the Empousai left them with a couple of scratches, but was taken care of with a few swings of Riptide, but as they were entering their ninth day on the road, Nico was seriously considering summoning a few hellhounds just to keep them entertained.

"Come on, Percy! We can find somewhere without any mortals, fight a couple of demon-dogs and get all this energy out of our system! I don't know about you guys, but sitting in this car all day is really getting on my nerves."

"He has a point," Aby said, stifling a yawn. "We've been on the road for days, and achieved nothing... Do you think my quest was actually supposed to be, say, not dying of boredom?" There was a crack of thunder outside, and she muttered an apology. "Seriously, though, we might not have to wait too longer. With this mixture of boredom and paranoia, someone has to take pity on me soon, before I go insane."

Percy bit his lip. "Aby, it's up to you what we do, it really is, but are you sure we're in the right place?"

The girl frowned, and looked around. She didn't recognise the landscape. "I actually don't know where we are, Percy."

"Yeah, neither do I."

Annabeth, who had been listening without a word, groaned into her hands. "I just wanna beat something up!"

"You're the weirdest heroes I've ever met."

The four of them jumped at the new voice, and turned to see Apollo grinning through Aby's open window. "Normally demigods would be thankful for such an uneventful quest." He let himself in and squeezed in between Aby and Nico. "But you guys are actually upset about it."

"You know us, Apollo." Percy said dryly. "After the war, we can't adjust to a peaceful life. And, well, I think Aby here is just plain aggressive."

The god grinned at the demigods. "Well, I just came to check up on you. See how you were going, making sure none of you were dead, the usual." He looked at Aby. "Abyss, can I have a word alone?"

He tilted his out to the window, and for the first time Abyss noticed his bright red car. Nodding, a little confused, she got out.

Once they were in the car, Aby in the passenger seat feeling a fair bit uncomfortable, Apollo turned to her with the oddest expression in his blue eyes. "Are you okay, Abyss?"

The girl's eyes widened in surprise. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you really want this quest over. Any hero would. The others do, too, I guess, but it's not their quest. In the end, they can't help you defeat the- well, defeat the monster that's coming your way. It's making you fidgety, paranoid."

Aby stared at the god. "Why do you _care_, Apollo?"

He hesitated, and for a split second, Aby could have sworn that he looked incredibly unsure. Reaching out, the god touched the necklace she hadn't taken off yet, his fingers brushing her collarbone. "I don't know." he murmured quietly. Behind her, the door popped open, she took the hint. Apollo gave her one last smile. "Good luck, Abyss Moon." and he and the car disappeared in a flash of golden light.

"What did he want?" Annabeth asked as Aby got back in the van, eyes a little wide at her encounter with Apollo. Seriously, what was _with_ him?

"Honestly, Annabeth, your guess is as good as mine."


	5. Chapter 5

**A short filler... **

Aby couldn't believe her eyes. Or ears. Or Hermes, who was standing in front of her, with an easy grin on his face and fiddling with his caduceus-phone and occasionally, telling off Martha and George for bickering. "Well?" he asked.

She blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Dead."

"Lord Hermes... You mean..."

The god rolled his eyes. "I mean that, after much, uh, deliberation, the gods have decided that for the time being, you should be spared this quest. They send their... apologies."

"But... Why?"

Hermes narrowed his eyes at her a fraction. "Why must you demigods be so nosy?" Aby flushed. "But nonetheless, I will tell you. You have a friend in Olympus, it seems, who is insistent on you being left alone. He seems to think that you don't deserve this quest- which, in all fairness, you probably don't- and has convinced us to let you be for a time. Zeus has admitted that, no matter his qualms, you have done nothing wrong, and perhaps it was a little rash to send you off on a dangerous quest without enough training."

"Percy went early."

"Yes, well, Percy was a special case. Even though you are his twin, you're not learning as fast as him."

"Thank you ever so, Lord Hermes."

The god looked at her and his eyes softened a fraction, part of his annoyance with her fading. "I only live to please, Abyss."

"It's Aby."

"I must bid you farewell, though," he continued, ignoring her. "I hope to see you soon."

With a blaze of divine light Aby barely managed to avoid, he was gone.


End file.
